Secondhand Lions just may well be the most entertaining family pic I’ve seen in a while (to me anyway).
It’s directed by Tim McCanlies and tells the story of the summer of a young, shy boy named Walter (Haley Joel Osment), who is sent by his almost careless mother Mae (Kyra Sedgwick), to live on his eccentric uncles’ (Robert Duvall and Michael Caine) farm. Rumor has it that they were both bank robbers in their prime and have hidden millions of dollars worth of cash. His mother really wants the money, and orders Walter to find it. Instead, Walter and his uncles (named Hub and Garth), start to get along fine, with Garth telling Walter stories of their younger days in Africa. Soon, Walter is transported into a world of African princesses, Arabian sheiks, vast deserts, armies locked in combat, and adventure with every step of the way. They also order an old African lion in the mail, and some other things that they buy show that they really do have an endless supply of cash!
Secondhand Lions is very entertaining, and I enjoyed it throughout. It’s mostly family friendly, and Duvall and Caine give fine acting performances. Duvall has got the role and accent of an old, grumbling Texan down perfect. Caine is from England, but he still gives the role a partially successful try. Osment has shown himself to be very talented.
The movie still has some slivers of faults and flaws. The flashback sequences showing the uncles in their younger days may seem overly cartoonish to some, funny to others. In addition, it has a trend of predictability as to what will happen.
That being said, this is an overall fine family film. It’s mostly original, albeit perhaps predictable, but it also has its own sense of fun to it. Secondhand Lions is not a complete charm or gem, but it was nevertheless very likeable.
*** ½/5
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